American cities are refusing President Trump’s refugee ban

New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago along with smaller cities like New Haven, Syracuse and Austin, have sent a clear message to President Donald Trump. “We’re going to defend all of our people regardless of where they come from, regardless of their immigration status,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York.

On Friday, Trump issued an executive order indicating funding to municipalities that did not cooperate with federal immigration officials would be halted.

Mayors in “sanctuary cities” have promised to fight the ban and sue the federal government if funding is halted because of their decision.

“I want to be clear: We’re going to stay a sanctuary city,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. “There is no stranger among us. Whether you’re from Poland or Pakistan, whether you’re from Ireland or India or Israel and whether you’re from Mexico or Moldova, where my grandfather came from, you are welcome in Chicago as you pursue the American dream.”

Larger cities have historically provided some type of safe haven for illegal immigrants. Trump is hoping to stop that practice by stating that those cities will “not eligible to receive Federal grants, except as deemed necessary for law enforcement purposes.”

Legal advisors have promised that President Trump’s executive order holds no weight. “The rhetoric doesn’t match the legal authority. In fact, the president has very limited power to exercise any kind of significant defunding,” said director of the Immigration Justice Clinic at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York Peter L. Markowitz.

California is fighting tooth and nail against Trump’s executive order, bringing in in Eric H. Holder Jr., former U.S. Attorney General, to advocate for their position. Holder and officials in California say the ban violates the 10th Amendment in that it forces local governments to enforce federal statutes, according to New York Times.

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo spoke on the matter of safety, stating, “our police chief is the best person to decide how to use the scarce resources we have. It’s not simply an ideological decision.” He added, “Our Police Department, like most, doesn’t engage in federal tax laws, federal environmental laws or federal immigration laws.”